OK, the Kung Fu kicking part of the post title is pure exaggeration “ but there are serious Kung Fu type sounds as this game launches and during game play. And WordFu is a fast-paced (I could almost say action-packed) word game for the iPhone “ strange as that may sound.
WordFu has a very different approach to any other word forming game I ‘ve ever seen, and some unique features. Here ‘s an overview of game play, from its App Store description:
Shake your letter dice and spell as many words as you can before the clock runs out. Build up your score by unleashing an endless word barrage! Freeze time, flick dice for better letters, a let loose a fiery spelling fury! Once you ‘ve mastered it on your own, take on your friends over WiFi. Domiate the leaderboard on your quest to earn WordFu belts and become a true WordFu Grand Master. Once no worldly man can defeat you, play Shaolin Style for the highest WordFu challenge.
Read on for some first impressions of this slick new game, and more screencaps
Right from the off, WordFu looks and feels different to any other word game “ starting with the martial arts type shrieks you hear as the game launches.
As you start a new game, you ‘re shown the 9 letter dice you ‘ll need to use to start forming words. An immediate twist on most games of this type is that you then have 20 seconds to change those dice to a group that looks more promising to you. Just shake the iPhone to get a new set. So, for example, I ‘ve opted to always look for sets that include an ‘S ‘ “ so that you can double up on singular and plural forms of many words.
Once your letters are set, the game begins “ and you have 45 seconds to spell as many words as you can. In ‘normal ‘ mode you can use a single letter dice more than once in the same word “ so, for instance, even if you just have one ‘S ‘ you can still spell ‘snakes ‘ by using the S twice. You ‘ve got an ‘X ‘ key to backspace if you make a mistake while spelling a word “ and you should get used to using it as you are penalized for any misspelled words you enter.
Once you have formed a word you have to shake or flick the iPhone to enter it. I think this is one of the reasons the game feels fast-paced “ you have to be thinking and shaking / flicking as fast as you can to rack up a good score.
Another thing that adds to the fast action feel of the game is the use of ‘power-up ‘ style elements in it. As you form words and rack up a good score, you ‘ll get some help “ via a ‘Freeze Time ‘ block that stops the clock and lets you survey the board for a little bit when you tap it, a ‘Double Your Score ‘ block that will double your points for the next word spelled once you tap it, and via a ‘Flick the Dice ‘ block that lets you flick one dice away for a new one, when tapped. These all can be a huge help to your overall score.
The overall effect is that WordFu feels more tense and frenetic than any other word game I ‘ve tried out “ and that ‘s a good thing. You really have to be reeling off words (and remembering to shake or flick to enter them as well as taking advantage of the bonus dice) almost continuously in order to get a big score.
The game ‘s dictionary is by ‘Collins Scrabble Words ‘ and has over 200,000 words.
You can play against a friend if you ‘re on the same WiFi network “ so this could be a great ‘work avoider ‘ in a coffee shop. You can also switch to Shaolin Style (which I ‘ve not tried yet) if you need an even bigger challenge “ as in that mode you can only use each letter die once per word.
The game also offers a leaderboard (Hall of Legend) that shows high scores in single player and ‘against a friend ‘ modes, and even shows you your longest word and highest number of words formed on a separate screen.
I ‘ve played several very good word games on the iPhone, but WordFu has moved straight into favorite position for me. So far, it feels the most challenging and most fun of any I ‘ve come across.
If you like word games, and especially if you like word games and want just a little more iPhone ‘oomph ‘ in them, you ‘ll like this one a lot.
You can find WordFu in the App Store now, and it ‘s priced at just $0.99.
Continue reading:
- Everything New Apple Just Announced (Septembe
- Apple Watch Pre-Order
- Apple Research Kit launches with 5 Apps
- Apple TV now only $69
TAGS:
